Map-case.



No. 809,175. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906. J. DAWSON & C. 0. ROSEN.

MAP CASE. APPLIGATION FILED man. 1905.

lllIl/llll/ UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIO'E. JOHN DAWSON AND CHARLES O. ROSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAP-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

To a/ZZ whom, it mja/y concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN DAWSON and CHARLES O. ROSEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Map- Cases, of which the following Iis a specification.

It is sometimes desirable to have all of a collection of maps contained in and permanently associated with a case or cabinet common to all of them. This is true where it is not necessary or desirable to carry the maps or any of them from place to place. On the other hand,where it is desirable or necessary to carry them from place to place itis desirable to provide individual cases for the several maps, each of said cases being so. constructed that wherever it happens to be, whether hanging upon a wall or stood upon end or laid upon the floor, it will afford a complete protection for the map, the case being continuous, excepting for an opening through which the map is drawn, which op ening when the map is wound up is tightly closed by means of the customary strip on the bottom edge of the map.

The object of the present invention is to provide individual map-cases of such construction that a number of them may be grouped together one above another in such manner that they will present the appearance of a single structure, the carrying out of the scheme being promoted by the use of a skeleton cabinet, in which the individual cases are arranged.

A further object of the invention is to provide individual cases of such construction that when a number of them are grouped together in the manner described the maps may be used with erfect facility, and in Order to accomplish t `s object the bottom of each case is made wider than the top of the case immediately below it, so that the bottom of each case projects beyond the top of the case immediately below it and the opening through which the map is drawn out is in the projecting portion of the bottom. In other words, the opening in the bottom of each case is immediately adjacent to its front Wall, and this brings it in front of the top of the front wall of the case immediately below it, the front walls of all of the cases, with the exception of the top case, if desired, being sloped downwardly and outwardly.

A further obj ect of the invention is to conceal as far as possible the individual character of the cases when grouped together in the manner described, and this obj ect is accomplished by making the tops and bottoms of the cases flat and placing them so close together that the strips on the ma s when the maps are wound up will concea the spaces between the cases.

To these ends the invention consists in the features of novelty that are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a map-case embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, an intermediate portion being broken away. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fragment of one of the individual cases. Fig. 4 is a detail of a hanger used for supporting one end of an individual case when in place on the wall. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail.

The containing-cabinet, which is preferably constructed of Wood, but may be constructed of any other material, comprises a top A, a back B, which is intended to rest against a verticalwall, a bottom C, and two vertical end walls D, which latter are provided with horizontal slots d, that are adapted to receive the projecting ends e of the fiat tops of the respective individual map-cases E. The bottoms also are flat and terminate a suflicient distance from the front walls to leave immediately contiguous to said front walls openings e sufliciently wide to permit the free passage of the maps as they are wound up and unwound. The front walls of all of the cases below the to one slope downwardly and outwardly, wit i the result that the bottom of each case projects forward beyond the top of the case immediately below it. This brings the opening e of each case forward or in front of the top of the case immediately below it, and thus permits any of the'maps to be unwound or wound up with perfect facility while the several cases are grouped together in the manner described.

Itis not of course practicable Where the removability of individual cases is desired to have one rest upon another, and we have therefore provided a cabinet composed ofthe parts already described in which the individual cases may be so mounted that each is supported independently of the other and may be removed or replaced at will. While the entire set of cases is in place, the bottom IOO IIO

strips F of the maps will close the openings e by contacting with the bottom edge of the front ywall of one case and the front face of the 'front wall ol' the case next below it, but when any individual case is removed the strip F of the case next above it will close the opening e by contacting with the bottom edge of the front of that case and the front edge of the bottom thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the several individual cases are in place in the cabinet, they may be secured there by slats or cleats G, which are secured by some suitable means to the ends D of the cabinet and which overlap the ends of the several individual cases, without, however, overlapping the ends of the strips F, the latter being left free, so that without removing the individual cases from the cabinet the maps maybe drawn down and again returned to their individual cases. The preferred means Jfor securing in place the retainingstrips are screws or headed studs H, secured to the ends D of the cabinet and adapted to occupy keyhole-slots g in the strips. The larger portions of the slots are at Athe bottom, so that gravity will tend to hold the smaller portions of the slots in contact with the stems of the screws or studs.

It will be understood that each of the maps is wound upon a Hartshorn or similar spring-roller l. This is so well understood in the art that the details are not shown in the drawings. i As already intimated, the individual cases are adapted to be removed from the cabinet and taken to the school-room or place where desired for use. For the purpose of properly sustaining the individual cases each of them is provided with a pair of hangers, such as shown at J in Fig. 4. This hanger is simply a piece of sheet metal secured to the back of the case by a screw, so that it may be turned about the screw, and it is provided with a perforation for receiving a nail or other supporting device on the wall.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An individual map-case having a iiat top, a i'lat front wall which slopes downwardly and outwardly and a flat bottom terminating some distance from the iront wall, thereby leaving an opening immediately adjacent to the front wall, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a plurality oi individual map-cases each containing a map, means for removably supporting said cases one above another, each of said cases having an opening for the passage of its contained map, and strips secured to the bottoms 0E the maps, and, when the maps are wound up,

contacting with adjacent cases to conceal the spaces between them, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a plurality of individual map-cases each containing a map, means for supporting said cases one above another, said cases having adjacent to their front walls openings for the passage of the maps, and the bottom of each case project- 7o ing forward beyond the top of the case immediately below it, and strips secured to the bottoms of the maps and adapted to close said openings, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a plurality of individual inap-cases each containing a map, means for supporting them one above another, the bottom or' each case projecting forward beyond the top of the case immediately below it and each case having a bottom 8o opening for the passage of the map, and strips secured to the maps and adapted to contact with adjacent cases, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a plurality of individual map-cases and a cabinet for supporting them, each individual case and the end walls of the cabinet having means whereby the individual cases are independently supported, and each map having a strip adapted 9o to contact with adjacent individual cases Jfor closing the spaces between them, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a plurality of individual map-cases and a cabinet for supporting them, one above another, each individual case having at its ends projections and acabinet having corresponding grooves for receiving .said projections whereby the individual cases are independently supported, roo

and strips attached to the bottoms of the individual maps and adapted to close the spaces between the individual cases, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a plurality of individual map-cases, each having at the bottom an opening for the passage of the map and each containing a map having at the bottom a strip, a cabinet, the cases and the cabinet being provided with interengaging elements 1 rc whereby the cases are independently and removably supported by the cabinet, and means for holding the cases in place in the cabinet, said means including headed studs projecting from the cabinet and a strip havr 15 

